Often, people think cancer research is about developing new treatments. But finding ways to prevent cancer is also important. More than 200,000 Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, and this number will keep increasing as our population grows and ages, placing a significant burden on the health care system.

Genetic research may boost success of immunotherapy

Cancer cells are sneaky. They are often able to hide from the body’s immune system, and sometimes they can even prevent an immune system attack from happening.

What does the future of cancer in Canada look like?

Dr Darren Brenner is a researcher at the University of Calgary in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research. He is also one of the scientists leading the ComPARe project, a study funded by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) that is estimating current and future impact of cancer on Canadians’ health. He spoke to CCS about the project and the importance of cancer prevention research.

Your trusted source for the most up-to-date cancer statistics in Canada

For more than 30 years, the Canadian Cancer Statistics publication has provided comprehensive, up-to-date cancer statistics for Canada. Developed collaboratively by the Canadian Cancer Society, Public Health Agency of Canada, Statistics Canada and provincial and territorial cancer registries, the 2017 edition was released on June 20.

Personalized medicine uses information about a person to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. It helps doctors choose treatments based on a person’s genes or other features of the type of cancer the person has.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Harvard Medical School have discovered how certain bacteria can protect cancers from chemotherapy, and what this means for cancer drug development. Learn more in an article from The Atlantic.

Palliative and end-of-life care have been linked to some benefits for cancer patients, yet they are not well integrated into the cancer treatment process. A recent report by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer addresses these issues and offers a new model for integrating palliative care. Learn more in an article from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

Immunotherapy, a method of killing cancer using the body’s own immune system, is effective for some, but not all patients. A new study reported immune cells starved of oxygen were more effective at killing cancer, suggesting that oxygen starvation could improve immunotherapy. Learn more in an article from the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Early cancer treatment may stop a tumour from progressing and allow a person to live a longer, healthier life. Some pharmaceutical researchers have shown early immunotherapy can help people with lung and skin cancers. Learn more in an article from Reuters.